General Lubrication

[RMB677]

One topic I haven't noticed on the few forums I visit is lubrication.

Are there any guidelines for frequency and type of lubricants used? I've been using Hoppes (sp?) gun oil on bearings and a white lithum/teflon grease on the gears. I'm guessing that any lubricant that is plastic compatible is safe, that's the rule of thumb in my other hobby, 'O' gauge trains.

 

[breeze400]

I use grease in my bearings. But, I have "the greaser" to do it! Very cool device! Makes lubing small RC bearings a snap.

 

[murankar]

for my thrust bearings i use white lith and for the others i use Advanced Mix bearing oil m-250. It is made here in Korea.

 

[Tony]

I never grease any gears on a heli, they are plastic and usually don't require it. I do however lube my bearings. About once every 10 flights, I will sit down and check every bearing on the aircraft, clean and lube each one. On the gears, I just make sure there is no dirt in them. As for the thrust washers in the head, same as Matt,

 

[breeze400]

I never grease any gears on a heli, they are plastic and usually don't require it. I do however lube my bearings. About once every 10 flights, I will sit down and check every bearing on the aircraft, clean and lube each one. On the gears, I just make sure there is no dirt in them. As for the thrust washers in the head, same as Matt,

The greaser is designed to force grease past the bearing seal. Highly recommended for helis!
Biggest and Best RC Helicopter Shop on the Planet - HeliProz.com

 

[Tony]

Sam, the issue I have with putting grease in bearings is it's too thick. When I build my helicopters, I want everything smooth. Grease will add a little drag to everything and personally I don't like that. I just use bearing oil. If it's a bushing, I use bushing oil and if it's a thrust bearing, I will use some kind of grease.

 

[RMB677]

I do however lube my bearings. About once every 10 flights, I will sit down and check every bearing on the aircraft, clean and lube each one. On the gears, I just make sure there is no dirt in them.

I'm hesitant to tear down my heli to get at the bearings, I had a heck of a time getting it set up using videos as guides (they're always for a brand other than mine). Other than breaking down the heli is there a way to grease bearings without dismantling?

 

[Tony]

If you order the Team Trinity bearing oil like I use, you can just put a couple drops on them to keep them lubed. Again, about once every 10 flights. I just like to clean my stuff once in a while, but know where you are coming from not wanting to setup the heli again lol.

 

[breeze400]

Sam, the issue I have with putting grease in bearings is it's too thick. When I build my helicopters, I want everything smooth. Grease will add a little drag to everything and personally I don't like that. I just use bearing oil. If it's a bushing, I use bushing oil and if it's a thrust bearing, I will use some kind of grease.

I hear you Tony. I use wight lithium grease in the heli bearings. You can buy it by the tube and it's nice and light.

 

[Bruno]

I never grease any gears on a heli, they are plastic and usually don't require it. I do however lube my bearings. About once every 10 flights, I will sit down and check every bearing on the aircraft, clean and lube each one. On the gears, I just make sure there is no dirt in them. As for the thrust washers in the head, same as Matt,

Hi Tony, what do you use to clean the bearings? Thanks

 

[Tony]

I use brake cleaner to clean out my bearings. If you have somewhat sensitive skin you may want to wear nitrile gloves, it will give you a chemical burn. And I have shaved the end of my exacto to a cone shaped point that I can slip my bearings onto. I will see if I can get a video going of how I clean them.

 

[murankar]

I soak mine in Finger nail polish remover. Once I am done soaking them I will let them dry for an hour or two just to make sure the acetone has evaporated. Then I go through and oil everything. Yes it can be a pain in the back side but it is well worth it, one can extend the life of the bearings just from doing weekly maintenance. These models are just like our cars and if you take care of it then it should last a very long time.

As far as the main gear goes, I have heard of people using white lithium on them. Down side is the the dirt and grime will build up in the gear and then you are stuck pulling maintenance on it. Not sure if this is a plus or not but it could smooth out the operation between the main gear and pinion and possibly reduce some wear and tear between the metal and plastic.

 

[Tony]

I would like to add to URI's post. You can soak them in finger nail polish remover. It's pretty much just Acetone. Make sure you don't have rubber or plastic shields on your bearings though, it will melt it and cause all sorts of issues. when you have it in there, make sure to spin the bearings to break up the grit and old grease (yes, they put grease in them from the factory, not oil. This is why you should always clean new bearings!). Once that is done, you can blow them out with either your mouth or better yet, an air compressor. If you feel grit after doing this, then they are not clean and you need to do it again. Remember, smooth bearings require less power to spin, this will increase flight times as well as the life of the motor and servos.

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Oh, and I use Team Trinity Bearing Oil on ALL of my bearings. It's the best stuff you can find. You can also use 3-1 oil, sewing machine oil, hell if your in a real pinch, any cooking oil will work as well. you just have to clean them after every flight. With the Trinity oil, about every 10-20 flights.

 

[zenmetsu]

I am with Tony on this one, for bearings this size, grease is probably a bit overkill. You can also run into problems with the grease getting fouled and then you will need to get the grease out of the bearings.

I prefer light oils and lubricants. You can flush the bearings this way and continue to flush them while moving them gently until you get clear lubricant coming out. I have 3 LiPos and after cycling through them five times, I go through and completely flush my bearings and do a complete check to make certain that I have no loose screws/fasteners. Once every 15 flights, approximately 2 hours of flight time, seems to be sufficient for prolonging bearing life.

My lubricant of choice is PB Blaster brand silicone lube, the same stuff I use on my firearms. This stuff has a very high silicone content compared to other silicone lubricants. I have a long thin tube attached to the spray bottle and apply a very light pressure so that the lubricant just trickles out in a controlled flow. To date, I have only had a single bearing fail on me aside from the one-way bearing in the main gears. I am still using the original EXI mainshaft bearings and they have about 50 hours of flight time on them. I was a bit weary at first about using a dry silicone lube on highspeed bearings, but it has not let me down yet.

 

[Bruno]

I hear you Tony. I use wight lithium grease in the heli bearings. You can buy it by the tube and it's nice and light.

Is it acceptable to use Align one way bearing grease on the thrust bearing?

 

[Tony]

Yup, it will work just fine.

 

[tommyboy660]

A great cleaner is karosene obtained at some truck stops, here i have a small diesel/ kerosene hauler called cardwell that i can buy just 1gal at a time but thats what is used for car parts alot. Also i bought scorpion motor bearing oil & it comes with syringe needle type metal applicator tips for the oil bottle but havent used it yet but do i need to remove the bearings from the motor first being as it is electric or do i just put oil on them do electric motors ark & things lie like water with 2 power cords or somethin obviously i know not to submerse them in any liquid & not over use oil all over. & also lithium grease i see it as tubed & sprays arent they different viscosities, what type of grease come in the align trex 450 pro kits i bought mine already built and none of the thread lock or grease came with it. Other than motor bearings and optional added maintenance to gears if greased or oiled what other bearings/places should or could be greased or oiled & with what for each ie oil or grease? Thank you all that have been helping me through what i thought at one time an impossible nightmare of a hobby especially you Tony many thanks and praise for all previous, current, & future help. You've made a beliver out of me that it is all possible with alittle time and guidance...

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In need also of thread suggestions for bearing sizes and which are best for trex 450 pro 3gx fbl. Ie should i bother will it benefit by how much to replace stock with say ceramic or what are good ones & like stated above is it worth it, what sizes and how many of each are needed and lastly what material is best ceramic or stick with metal but new ones from a certain place or stay with stock cuz benefit isnt noticeable compared with pricing? Thank you TOM

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I clicked on this thread thinking someone was talking about a certain heli trick in lingo or something but learninv of using an actual trampoline that is brilliant to first try hovering on. What if i dont have a teampoline though what are some suggestions? I used to own a tramp but took it out cuz little sister kept getting hurt. Idk what are some inexpensive alternatives or should i just forgo the idea and try hovering on plain ground? Ive already purchased training landing gear for my heli to useso thats better than nothing but is the tramp worth looking at my DI store(its like good will, so used items very cheap) for a smsll workout type tramp that doesnt really take up space much and if they do have one it would be cheap like $10 or maube a bit more